When it comes to ‘Star Trek Into Darkness,’ the main talking point is without question the identity of Benedict Cumberbatch‘s character. Is he playing an updated version of a classic villain, say, Khan for example? The word thus far from the creative team has been a definitive no — but who ever trusts what these notoriously secretive folk say anyway?

Today the denials get firmer, as we have Cumberbatch himself weighing in, talking in some detail about who his character is and what his name isn’t — and that it is NOT Khan.

Speaking with Access Hollywood at a recent junket for ‘Star Trek Into Darkness,’ Cumberbatch said in no uncertain terms that his name is “John and not that other name.” Far from being coy, the British thesp explained a bit further.

I play John Harrison who’s a terrorist and an extraordinary character in his own right. He’s somebody who is not your two-dimensional cookie cutter villain. He’s got an extraordinary purpose, and I hope that at one point or other in the film you might even sympathize with the reasons he’s doing what he’s doing — not necessarily the means and the destruction he causes. But it was a great ride, not just because he’s the bad guy and the antagonist but also because he has a purpose and it’s hard not to see his point of view at certain points.”

This “John Harrison” business jibes with the first publicity still released by Paramount of Cumberbatch (seen above); Harrison was the name in the caption. Obviously, this is their story and they are sticking to it.

That being said, it’s our right as geeks to be skeptical, and you’ll excuse us if we’re still not 100% convinced that Cumberbatch’s baddie won’t ultimately be revealed as someone quite familiar to Trekkies.

You can read more from Cumberbatch, including a quote about how epic in scale the film is (much bigger than the first), over at Access Hollywood.

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